Ghana Votes

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Ghana Elections 2012 Daily News Review - 4th April, 2012

The top stories for today's review include:

1. Biometric registration activities; anomalies and security issues

2. Nomination of PPP presidential candidate.

3. President Mills' commitment to peaceful elections.

The Ghanaian Times reports that Machomen destroy registration machine. The Tafo /Pankrono District Police Command has mounted a hunt for a group of machomen who stormed the Ahenbronum electoral area at Tafo/Pankrono, in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region on Sunday, assaulted the registration officials and destroyed a laptop computer being used for the biometric voter registration. The thugs numbering about 20 arrived on motor bikes armed with dangerous implements and rushed on the electoral officers. They seized the laptop, removed the chip and destroyed it before they sped off.  Also on machomen, The Daily Graphic adds that Eight macho men yesterday  attempted to disrupt a collation exercise  being  undertaken  by the Manhyia Sub-Metro biometric  registration officers  at Dichemso a suburb of Kumasi, but the timely  intervention of the police  saved  the situation. In the headline Police halt macho men from stealing registration data, the paper reports that the disruption  was meant to distract  registration officers in the collation exercise and taking  away  chips  on which  data of the registration had been saved.

In other news, the Daily Guide indicates that the EC is troubled over disturbances. The chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has expressed worry over disturbances in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, during the first phase of the biometric registration exercise. He was troubled by the situation in Swedru in the Central Region where a registration machine was stolen last Sunday night at one of the centers. Considering these troubles, the EC wants trouble makers arrested. The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari –Gyan has asked the Police Administration to arrest and prosecute all those who want to foment trouble and disturb the biometric voter registration exercise. There  are many  reports of threats against  registration officers in some  districts and attempts by some well-built and party  agents to cause chaos  at registration  centres, the Ghanaian Times reports this on page 4 of the paper.

Investigate anomalies surrounding biometric registration, is the Ghanaian Times' story on page 12 as Ms Bridgitte Gordon, Ablekumah North Women's Organizer of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has asked the state to investigate media reports of  irregularities in the Biometric  Voter Registration exercise. Speaking  to the Ghana News Agency  in an interview  in Accra, she said  news  about  the use of machomen and some agents of some political  parties  to intimidate people seeking  to register in the on -going  exercise  were frustrating; hence   the need for the  government  to take a stand  to make  the process credible in the eyes of the  international community. The Chairman  of the Electoral Commission (EC) Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has  maintained that it is  illegal  for anyone  to physically prevent  others from taking  part in the on-going  biometric registration exercise. This is captured on page 16 of the Daily Graphic in the headline It's illegal to prevent people from registering  And He explained that, the most  acceptable  and appropriate procedure was for people  with ''concrete evidence'' to pick   challenge  forms  and object to the registration of such  persons , not  the use of  force in any form.

The headline, Berekum to benefit from voter education project is what the Daily Graphic uses in reporting that the Berekum Municipality, identified as one of the elections hot spots in the Brong Ahafo  Region is to  benefit from  free, fair  and transparent general  election through effective  voter education and collective  stakeholder commitment. The project is  an initiative of the Pan-African  Organisation for Sustainable Development (POSDEV).

The last issue on the biometric registration is an allegation from the Daily Guide about Biometric cards for Fulanis. The paper claims reports reaching its news desk from Bole in the Northern region has it that aliens mainly Fulanis and Zamrama people from Niger are being registered in the ongoing biometric registration exercise. An assemblyman at Bole who could not stand the despicable development revealed to the paper's reporter that many foreigners and minors have been given the green light to register in the constituency under the watch of Electoral Commission (EC) officials.

In other elections news is the nomination of Dr. Papa Kwesi Ndoum as the flag-bearer of the Progressive People's Party. The Ghanaian Times adopts the headline PPP nominates Nduom as it repots that more  than 25,000 paid-up members of the Progressive People's Party (PPP) yesterday , nominated Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom as the party's presidential candidate for the 2012 election. The Daily Graphic also reports on the same news in the headline PPP confirms Nduom as flagbearer , adding that all paid up and card-carrying members of the party in all 230 constituencies across the country  simultaneously gave Dr. Nduom  the nod  to contest  the 201 2 elections. The founder and Leader of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Dr.  Papa Kwesi Nduom yesterday received an over whelming  endorsement from  the rank  and file  of the party  to become  its first-ever flag  bearer.

We end today's newspaper review with President Mills' commitment to peaceful elections. President Atta Mills has affirmed to ensure that the country remains peaceful before, during and after the December polls. Interacting  with a section of the Ghanaian  community in Dakar while in Senegal to witness the investiture of President  Macky  Sall, President Atta Mills  said he would  be abusing  his oath of office  if he  did not ensure  that Ghana's Democracy  reached  higher  heights  after the elections. The Daily Graphic captures this in the headline, Mills reiterates commitment to free, fair elections. The New Crusading Guide also states this in its headline Mills talks tough…no bloody elections! President John Evans Atta Mills has dispelled the fear of Ghanaians that he is committed by his deeds to protect Ghana's democratic credentials in the December general elections-without shedding of blood. The paper adds that the President said loss of a single life in the up-coming election would be a setback in the country's electoral achievement, which remains a success story in Africa.

This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.

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